Web Policy
This World Wide Web (WWW) site is provided as a public service by the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the Commission). Safeguarding the
privacy of individuals who visit our site is of the utmost importance
to us.
You can visit the FERC website without telling us who you are or revealing
information about yourself. We do not automatically collect personal information
such as names or addresses when you visit the site. If you choose to provide
that information to us, it is only used for the identified purposes.
Data submitted to the Commission through the filling-out of online forms
is not stored or retrieved by the name of the individual submitting the
information, or by any other identifying particular assigned to the individual,
such an email address. Consequently, this group of records is not considered
to be a “system of records” as defined in the Privacy Act
of 1974 (www.usdoj.gov/foia/privstat.htm).
An official summary of Privacy Act rights is posted by the Federal Citizen
Information Center at http://www.consumeraction.gov/caw_privacy_online.shtml.
Information Collected and Stored Automatically
If you visit our site to read or download information, such as orders
or filings, we collect and store default information customarily logged
by World Wide Web server software:
- the name or numeric address given to the computer or server from
which you connected to the Internet (the IP address and/or fully qualified
domain name);
- the date and time you accessed our site;
- the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly
to our site; and
- the type of web browser you are using.
The logs are reviewed periodically to make our site more useful to visitors.
We review aggregated information to learn about the number of visitors
to our site and the types of technology our visitors use. The logs are
retained for a period of time specified by the applicable records retention
schedule established as part of the federal recordkeeping program. Except
as needed to protect our site's security, we do not even try to identify
individual users or their usage patterns.
If You Send Us Personal Information
Visitors are requested to provide information needed to fill-out voluntary
online forms, such as to register for FERC Online services (e.g. electronic
filing), to request a FERC speaker, for international delegation requests,
to register online for FERC-sponsored conferences, to provide feedback
on the web site, or to request a new Frequently Asked Question (FAQ).
Required fields for these voluntary online forms are marked with an asterisk.
If you do not fill out a required field, your request will not be processed.
You automatically grant consent for use of this information when you enter
the information online.
How We Use Your Information
The information we receive and what we do with it depends on what you
do during your visit to our site.
If you identify yourself by sending an email, we use your personal information
to process your request, question, etc. Your message may be forwarded,
as email, to other Commission employees who are better able to help you.
Except as noted, we never release personal information to third
parties except to further the purpose for which you provide the information
(such as forwarding your question to another government agency that may
be better able to provide assistance) or if release is required by law.
Email does not constitute official communication with the Commission and
is not normally entered into the public record of a formal Commission
proceeding. However, email containing communication about a specific Commission
proceeding, particularly if addressed to an individual Commission staff
member, may be entered into the public record. Please read "Contact
Us" for more information about how to communicate your needs
properly, avoid impermissible ex parte communication, and ensure prompt
service.
Cookies
Cookies are text files placed on the visitor's computer hard drive by
the server (a type of computer). A cookie is a short piece of data. The
cookie is not an executable program and cannot do anything to your machine.
There are two kinds of cookies.
A session cookie is in operation only for the duration of the browser
session - when the user shuts down the browser the cookie is released
and goes away. The Commission website uses only temporary session cookies.
A persistent cookie continues in operation after the close of the individual
session. Shutting down the browser will cause the cookie to be written
into a special cookie file on the user's computer, so that the next time
the user visits the website that generated the cookie, the cookie will
be sent to the website's server again. The Commission does not use this
type of cookie.
Site Security
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available
to all users, this Government computer system employs software programs
to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload
or change information, or otherwise cause damage.
Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is
advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or
criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement
officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this
server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including
the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information
Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
Contact Information
Web items:
Diane E. Bernier, Webmaster
Email: Webmaster
Telephone: 202-502-6109
Privacy items:
John D.White
Email: john.white@ferc.gov
Telephone: 202-502-8341 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
